European private equity firm Cinven has completed its acquisition of Amdipharm, the family-owned international niche pharmaceuticals business, for a total consideration of GBP367m.  This deal follows Cinven’s acquisition of Mercury Pharma, an international specialty pharmaceuticals company, in August 2012.   Amdipharm will be merged, over time, with Mercury Pharma. The combined group has an enterprise value in excess of GBP830m, with revenues approaching GBP250m and a portfolio of more than 200 drugs.   Cinven originated these investments through its healthcare sector focus. Its strategy is to grow a global niche pharmaceuticals business, both organically and through further acquisition opportunities, including

Ecorse Investments, a company indirectly owned by funds managed by private equity fund Advent International, has closed its tender offer for the sale of EKO Holding Group shares, reaching a total subscription level of 97.98 per cent. According to the schedule provided in the tender offer document for the sale of EKO Holding shares, the subscription period closed on 29 October 2012. Through the tender offer, the shareholders subscribed to sell the total number of 47,632,553 shares, which is equal to a 97.98 per cent stake in the company.  The sales of 62.14 per cent of the shares have already

Pentaho has raised USD23m in a C funding round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with participation from additional existing investors Benchmark Capital, Index Ventures and DAG Ventures. Pentaho will use the funds to expand its development, engineering, services, sales and marketing efforts needed to support its continued growth and leadership in big data analytics. "Pentaho Business Analytics, with its tightly-coupled data integration, business analytics and big data capabilities in one easy-to-use and cost-effective platform, has become the go-to solution for companies embarking on big data programmes," says Quentin Gallivan (pictured), chairman and chief executive at Pentaho. "Pentaho has a

AXA Private Equity is providing EUR100m of additional financing to support the development of Ceva. The deal follows AXA Private Equity’s first investment of EUR30m in 2007. Ceva is an animal health company, which since becoming independent in 1999, has grown by more than 10 per cent per year, well above the industry average, thanks to an internal growth strategy focused on developing innovative products combined with external growth achieved through build-ups. The management of Ceva became the majority shareholders in the group in 2007, following the third in a series of LBO’s supported by NiXEN, Euromezzanine and, in 2010,

KPS Capital Partners has signed a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio company, North American Breweries, to Cerveceria Costa Rica, a subsidiary of Florida Ice and Farm, for USD388m in cash. NAB is one of the largest independently owned beer companies in the US and the owner of a diverse portfolio of brands including Labatt, Genesee, Seagram’s Escapes, Magic Hat, Pyramid, the Original Honey Brown Lager, Dundee and MacTarnahan’s. NAB operates four breweries and seven retail locations located in New York, Vermont, California, Oregon and Washington. KPS formed NAB in February 2009 as a platform for investments and growth in

The scarcity in the number of quality businesses coming to market, coupled with a lack of availability of debt funding, has impacted private equity yet again this quarter as the number of deals continued its year-long fall, according to research released by BDO’s corporate finance team. This contrasted starkly with private company trade sales which reached their highest number since Q3 2011.   According to BDO’s quarterly Private Companies Price Index (PCPI) and Private Equity Price Index (PEPI), the number of private equity deals completed in Q3 2012 stood at 77, the lowest since Q2 2011 (when 68 were seen)

HSS Hire Services Group has been acquired by Exponent Private Equity.    The transaction value has not been disclosed.   HSS is a UK-based tool and equipment hire chain that has been serving big businesses, trade and DIY customers since 1957. Operating under the banner of HSS Hire, the group has an established nationwide network with a 2,000-strong workforce and a fleet of over 500 liveried vehicles. HSS operates from a national network of 230 distribution centres and branches in UK and Ireland.   HSS has traded successfully and posted consistent growth during the last four years. It delivered sales

An affiliate of private equity firm Aterian Investment Partners has completed the carve-out acquisition of ten heat treating facilities in the US and Canada from Bluewater Thermal Solutions. The acquired plants will continue to operate under the Bluewater name.    Bluewater is a provider of heat treating services and solutions to a number of North American manufacturing industries.  The company provides a range of metallurgical heat-treating processes in which metal parts are exposed to precise temperatures, atmospheres, quenchants, and other conditions to improve their mechanical properties, durability, and wear resistance.  Bluewater has locations in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Canada. From

Private equity firm HIG Capital has completed the sale of Texas Honing (THI), an engineering-enabled producer of high precision components used in oilfield drilling, completion, and production systems worldwide. After the transaction, the company will be included in the Forged Products segment of Precision Castparts Corporation. Based near Houston, Texas, THI was founded in 1976 as a specialised honing business catering to local oilfield tool companies. Over the past 35 years, THI has grown its offering to include eight complementary services including drilling, honing, boring, turning, skiving, off-centre drilling, and CNC processing. “HIG has been a valuable partner and sounding